Early Pregnancy Symptoms and Signs

Many women have questions regarding the early symptoms of pregnancy and may wonder if their symptoms are suggestive of pregnancy. This article focuses on the most common symptoms a woman might experience in the first trimester of pregnancy. In addition to a missed period, these include:

breast tenderness,

nausea and vomiting (morning sickness),

food cravings,

fatigue,

abdominal cramping and bloating,

frequent urination,

elevated basal body temperature,

changes in nipple color,

darkening of the skin,

mood swings, and

headaches.

Missed Period

A missed menstrual period is most often the first sign of pregnancy and is a common first trimester symptom. Sometimes a woman who is pregnant may still experience some bleeding or spotting around the time of the expected period, typically 6 to 12 days after conception. When it occurs, this so-called "implantation bleeding" is generally not as heavy or long as a regular menstrual period. This small amount of bleeding that happens at the time of the expected menstrual period occurs because the fertilized egg attaches to the uterine wall. This is referred to as implantation bleeding.

Any bleeding during pregnancy is typically lighter than that observed during the regular menstrual period. However, if a woman does not have regular menstrual cycles, she may notice some of the other symptoms of early pregnancy before it is apparent that the menstrual period has been missed. A missed menstrual period also does not confirm that a woman is pregnant even if she has regular cycles, since both emotional and physical conditions may cause absent or delayed periods.